Consumers and Wage-Earners: The Ethics of Buying Cheap

"Consumers and Wage-Earners: The Ethics of Buying Cheap" by J. Elliot Ross is a socio-economic treatise written in the early 20th century. This work addresses the ethical implications of consumer choices in relation to labor conditions, particularly focusing on the responsibilities of consumers toward fair wages for workers. The book explores the interconnectedness of the consuming class and wage-earners, raising critical questions about economic justice and moral obligation. At the start of the text, Ross introduces a poignant comparison between a child purchasing a prize-bag and the young women laboring under poor conditions to produce these items. He uses this analogy to frame the broader issues of exploitation in industry, suggesting that consumers who seek cheap prices are, perhaps unknowingly, complicit in sustaining unjust labor practices. The opening portion not only sets the stage for exploring the obligations consumers have toward the wage-earners but also establishes a critical perspective on the nature of economic responsibilities in modern society. Ross argues that if employers fail to uphold their duties to laborers, the consuming class must consider their own ethical obligations regarding fair labor practices and wages.